The essential cleaning task you need to do before putting on your heating – or risk your energy bills going up by £225
BEFORE you start blasting the heating, when was the last time you cleaned your radiators?
Cleaning the inside of a radiator is often an overlooked chore.
But dust and dirt builds up inside and can cause the radiator to be less efficient.
It might look like a challenging task, but it’s actually really easy – if you try a hack or two – and important if you want to keep energy costs low.
Clean radiators are said to lower energy bills by up to 25 per cent.
And experts warn that a dirty radiator uses more energy to heat up a room, which amounts to more money spent – up to £225 more in fact.
“With the average gas central heating bill now standing at around £900 a year for a two to three-bedroom house, ensuring your radiators are working efficiently is one of the most effective ways to cut costs,” Nancy Emery, heating expert at Drench explained.
“Research suggests that by simply keeping your radiator system clean you could save up to 25 per cent off your bills – that’s around £225 a year.”
How to clean a radiator
1. Heating off
If you haven’t turned it on yet, it’s the perfect time to clean your radiators.
If you have given into the recent autumn chill, then switch your heating off and wait a few hours for them to cool down before cleaning.
Andrew Collinge, a heating product expert at BestHeating explained: “It is not only safer but prevents them from drawing up more dust while you clean.”
2. Hoover
Before getting into all the nooks and crannies, used a vacuum cleaner to clean in, around an underneath the radiator.
This will help to capture the dust, as opposed to unsettling it with a duster and pushing it back into the air.
Andrew added: “Use a vacuum to clear as much dust in and around the radiator as possible. IIf your vacuum has them, use the smaller attachments to get inside down the fins.”
3. Get inside
Specific radiator brushes can be bought on Amazon for a few pounds.
Before wiggling it between the fins, put a towl under the radiator to protect your floor and collect the dust that will come out.
Andrew also suggested: “Take a stick or piece of wood and wrap a microfibre cloth or fluffy duster around it and secure with tape.
“To get rid of the smaller pieces that get caught on the radiator fixings, use a hairdryer on a cold setting to blow these out down onto the towel.”
4. Wipe down with soap and water
Unlike the rogue cleaning hack that involves pouring soap water or disinfectant down the inside of the radiator, Andrew suggests only the outside needs a proper wet clean.
He told Ideal Home: “Ensure you have a lot of soapy suds on your sponge and ring it out so that it is damp but not dripping.”
Why do radiators get so dusty?
According to Only Radiators, “when your radiators heat the air, that hot air rises”.
“When hot air rises, cold air rushes to fill the space where the hot air used to be, pulling in all that dust, hair, and other particles with it.
“This means your radiator is essentially a big vacuum”.
Then dry the radiator with a microfibre cloth or old towl to make sure the metal isn’t left to rust from any remaining water droplets. But don’t use anything too abrasive as it could leave scratches.
5. Check your skirting boards
After cleaning the radiators, check the skirting boards and walls around them to see if any radiator dust has fallen down – they may need a quick wipe too.
6. Turn the heating back on
And enjoy efficient, hot radiators all winter!